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KIDS OF CHARACTER 10/26/2009
The Foundation Of Fairness Over the years I have spoken to adult audiences about the question, “Does life guarantee fairness?” The answer to that question is “No.” There is no ironclad guarantee that you will get a fair break from this thing called life. But does this mean fairness, as a character virtue, is inconsequential? Absolutely not! Fairness is a character virtue that every budding kid of character can explore and every adult mentor can encourage. What is the behavior that is associated with the practice of fairness? Why is it important for America’s kids to plod along with this theme? Fundamentally, the person who practices fairness is one who understands the difference between thinking about people as objects or as persons of worth. Years ago the renowned educator and philosopher, Martin Buber, wrote a significant book, I and Thou. His compelling message was this: people either learn to treat others as objects for manipulations or individuals of dignity. He explored the idea that all human relationships can be traced back to one of two fundamentals: I-It or I-Thou. Treating others as an It means that your basic interest in people is defined by what you can get from another. In contrast treating others as Thou means that your basic interest in people is defined by what you can give to another. The genius of Buber’s thinking is that it so clearly offers us insight in our quest to live a virtues-driven life, and more specifically, to practice the life-skill of fairness. If I seek to be fair in my relationships, I desire to give something to another. I desire to give my recognition that they are a person of respect; a person who experiences needs, hopes, and aspirations. This fundamental choice compels me to seek the good of another. Fairness is not a fact of life. Clearly human history is littered with the endless story of how I-It relationships have produced world-wide atrocities and failures. Yet, mentors of character know differently and choose to find the moral courage to be practitioners of fairness who think and act from the I-Thou foundation of fairness.
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